Vadodara railway police arrested a 35-year-old native of Odisha from his local his residence in Maliyawad area of Surat on Thursday night for allegedly supplying ganja across Gujarat. Valmiki Shetty, who hails from Kodala tehsil in Ganjam district, has been remanded in police custody for seven days by a sessions court in Surat, said Sharad Singhal, SP, Western Railway.

“Shetty has been supplying ganja in Bharuch, Navsari, Amreli, Junagadh, Kalol and other cities besides trains passing through Surat for the last four years. He used to keep the stocks in Maliyiwad,” said the SP. Shetty used to purchase ganja from Ganjam and bring it via train to Surat.

Singhal added Shetty was absconding for the last 18 months after his name cropped up in three major cases registered in Surat under The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

“Primary investigation revealed that he used to supply around 1,000 kg ganja to distributors across Gujarat every month. His arrest will lead us to the distributors,” said Singhal.

Among major seizures last year, 730 kg ganja worth Rs 43.96 lakh was recovered in August and 96 kg ganja worth Rs 5.78 lakh in April.